‘With Gold in Great Store’: Between Modes of Performance in Irish Song

Traditional ballads are sung in a variety of contexts in modern Ireland. Central to the social lives of singers in the twenty-first century is the singing session, a liminal performance space which is at once formal and informal. Singing sessions can have a variety of rules and principles and are generally deeply rooted in their locality. However, some of the organizations who facilitate these sessions, such as the Inishowen Traditional Singing Circle, often have more wide-reaching ambitions for creative practice and can provide a platform for emerging artists to develop into professionals. Ensembles of international stature, such as the Dublin-based group Lankum, owe aspects of their development to this grassroots community of practice. Professional singers continue to see the value of attending and performing at singing circles and sessions, which in turn has the potential to inspire others to consider pursuing their own musical ambitions. This chapter begins with an exploration of style in Irish ballad singing, before considering performance spaces, communities of practice, and the lived experience of important singers in the tradition.